Soul Movie Review

Soul (2020)

Watch Soul on Disney+
Written by: Pete Docter & Mike Jones & Kemp Powers (story & screenplay by)
Directed by: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers (co-director)
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Alice Braga, Phylicia Rashad, Questlove, Daveed Diggs
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer

Plot
A musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself.

Verdict
This is a beautiful exploration of existence and purpose. Joe's passion in life is jazz, and the question he explores is what should he do with that passion. Is passion synonymous with life's work? The animation is beautiful, Pixar always pushes the bar and this has some beautiful shots. While this movie is a corollary to Inside Out, it doesn't balance fun for kids and meaning for adults as well. I don't think children will enjoy Soul as much as other Pixar works. Though I thoroughly enjoyed this, the questions it asks and the explanations provided skew to adults. Soul asks what is life and how should it be enjoyed. Kids aren't worried about that yet.
Watch it.

Review
This certainly feels like a spiritual successor to Inside Out, which creatively depicted the mind and delved into how childhood memories shape children and adults. Inside Out showed us the beginning of life where Soul shows us a depiction of life at the beginning and end. Joe is seeking his purpose in life. Just as he thinks he's found it things go terribly wrong. Pete Docter started exploring this idea after winning an Oscar for Inside Out and wondering what's next. Should he just try to do the same thing again?

It's not just that the movie explores universal questions, but it's able to create a visual. The graphics and animation look really good. What excites you in life, and what do you do with that excitement? Are you meant to focus your life's work on what brings you joy? It's a fascinating question, but I don't see children enjoying this movie as much as some of Pixar's other movies. Inside Out managed to thread the needle of being entertaining for children while still having a deeper meaning for adults. Soul seems more preoccupied with probing the questions of existence. I love that, but I don't think children will.

Jamie Foxx voices Joe Gardner.

Joe must decide between continuing to pursue his dreams of jazz or taking a job as a middle school teacher with a steady paycheck. Joe isn't ready to give up on his dream, but on the day of his big break tragedy strikes. The rest of the movie is Joe trying to get back to his big performance that he hopes will launch his career. Joe meets 22, a soul that has yet to find that spark, their passion.Without that spark 22 can't go to Earth and enter a body.

The depictions of souls are interesting. Souls are mentored and prepared for a body. This process helps souls find their passion. Quite a few souls are sent through the self-absorbed pavilion. That's an explanation for why humans are, but it doesn't answer the question that if instructors can influence souls why make them self absorbed.

The great beyond.

The animation looks great. The level of detail sets it apart, from the saxophone reflecting light in the beginning to the worn edges of the piano with nicks and dents. My favorite image is the depiction of the great beyond.

By trying to get back for his jazz performance Joe ends up outside of his body. This gives him time to see his life from a different vantage point, and Joe begins to realize how self absorbed he was. What Joe realizes is that your passion and purpose are not synonymous. Joe can play jazz without having jazz consume everything he does. Joe sees examples of this through 22 and through his barber Dez. While Dez is a barber, it wasn't a life of which he dreamed.

Tina Fey and Jamie Foxx voice 22 and Joe.

Joe manages to play that big jazz performance, but he's left disappointed. The moment didn't change his life. He sees a future that's routine and boring, like riding the subway to work everyday. Joe thought that getting into the right band would change everything. It didn't.

This movie crafts a great emotional journey, exploring the question of what do you do with your life and how passion should shape and influence choices. Purpose and passion don't have to work in tandem. Finding a passion in life doesn't make you ready for life.
Soul is a movie speaking to adults that only appears to be for kids. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I don't see the questions asked engaging kids.